I think it's become quite evident at this point that my phone photos rarely veer from the category of food photography.
But something that I find quite interesting about these food randoms is that there will more than likely always be a story associated with each one.
As class had ended early on Monday, I decided to take advantage of the TGIM deals happening at Starbucks every Monday in March. This past week's special happened to be two teas for the price of one. The lineup at the 24-h location is always pretty long, but the staff are usually experienced enough to get my order to me in a pretty satisfactory amount of time. I've never had issues with an incorrect order or rude behaviour from the employees before either. But this particular Monday proved to be different.
The girl at the cashier seemed alright at first, but her attitude quickly changed. It had been fine when I initially inquired about the type of pastry the Almond Blossom was, but it took a rapid turn as soon as I asked about the Tea for Two deal.
Although the emails that I had received had already clearly stated that the deal would be applicable to both hot and iced teas, she simply spat the words, "It only works for hot teas." in my face when I proceeded to order two iced ones. I asked for a Peach Green Tea Lemonade as well as an iced Earl Grey at first, but then she told me that the second one couldn't be done. "We can only make the tea pouches as hot tea.", or so I was told. (Funny thing is, the smaller location across from campus had absolutely no issues whatsover making an iced Peach Blossoming Tea Latte for me when I requested it. Yes, I do understand that one is tea and syrup and the other is tea and milk. But the fact that tea can be made both hot and cold doesn't change.)
I then asked which teas could be made into cold teas, and was glared upon while being impatiently told that only black and green teas could be converted. And so I asked for green tea with milk and handed her my card politely while asking, "So this works for the deal, correct?". I see her punch in "Add milk - $0.60" and handing the cups over to the barista. Without even glancing back up at me, she slides my card through the machine swiftly (and somewhat angrily) before replying with a snarky "Well, we're going to see."
But something that I find quite interesting about these food randoms is that there will more than likely always be a story associated with each one.
As class had ended early on Monday, I decided to take advantage of the TGIM deals happening at Starbucks every Monday in March. This past week's special happened to be two teas for the price of one. The lineup at the 24-h location is always pretty long, but the staff are usually experienced enough to get my order to me in a pretty satisfactory amount of time. I've never had issues with an incorrect order or rude behaviour from the employees before either. But this particular Monday proved to be different.
The girl at the cashier seemed alright at first, but her attitude quickly changed. It had been fine when I initially inquired about the type of pastry the Almond Blossom was, but it took a rapid turn as soon as I asked about the Tea for Two deal.
Although the emails that I had received had already clearly stated that the deal would be applicable to both hot and iced teas, she simply spat the words, "It only works for hot teas." in my face when I proceeded to order two iced ones. I asked for a Peach Green Tea Lemonade as well as an iced Earl Grey at first, but then she told me that the second one couldn't be done. "We can only make the tea pouches as hot tea.", or so I was told. (Funny thing is, the smaller location across from campus had absolutely no issues whatsover making an iced Peach Blossoming Tea Latte for me when I requested it. Yes, I do understand that one is tea and syrup and the other is tea and milk. But the fact that tea can be made both hot and cold doesn't change.)
I then asked which teas could be made into cold teas, and was glared upon while being impatiently told that only black and green teas could be converted. And so I asked for green tea with milk and handed her my card politely while asking, "So this works for the deal, correct?". I see her punch in "Add milk - $0.60" and handing the cups over to the barista. Without even glancing back up at me, she slides my card through the machine swiftly (and somewhat angrily) before replying with a snarky "Well, we're going to see."
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"..."
In my head, I'm thinking, "So first of all, you didn't tell me that adding milk to tea costs an extra 60 cents. I thought it was free given that iced coffee comes with milk. Secondly, you hand the barista my drink cups without knowing whether the BOGO tea deal would work or not - HOW DID YOU KNOW I WASN'T GOING TO CANCEL MY ORDER IF THE DEAL DIDN'T WORK?"
Back to reality, the deal went through, as the email had stated, and so I received my card back and the girl with condescending attitude directed me to stand towards the end of the bar.
To be honest, all the other employees that day had seemed to be in a good mood. The lineup wasn't nearly as long as the morning or afternoon rushes (there was only one more person behind me in line), and the even the barista who made my drink was a super sweetie. I didn't know that inquiring about teas was such a sin.
(Oh and for those that are wondering, this is referring to the girl who was working at cashier on Monday March 16, 2015 at the 24-hour Starbucks at Square One around 3:20 pm.)
Onto the second photo, I have to say that the story associated with my reduced sugar Lait's Go (the French name for the drink) isn't nearly as long or exciting as the previous one. I simply included it since the lighting had been interesting that day, there was still time before the bus arrived, and the chances of me repurchasing a bottled drink when it's not on sale are pretty low.
(Side note: Did you know that "Reduced Sugar" in French is "Faible en sucre"? This literally means "weak in sugar" haha.)
In my head, I'm thinking, "So first of all, you didn't tell me that adding milk to tea costs an extra 60 cents. I thought it was free given that iced coffee comes with milk. Secondly, you hand the barista my drink cups without knowing whether the BOGO tea deal would work or not - HOW DID YOU KNOW I WASN'T GOING TO CANCEL MY ORDER IF THE DEAL DIDN'T WORK?"
Back to reality, the deal went through, as the email had stated, and so I received my card back and the girl with condescending attitude directed me to stand towards the end of the bar.
To be honest, all the other employees that day had seemed to be in a good mood. The lineup wasn't nearly as long as the morning or afternoon rushes (there was only one more person behind me in line), and the even the barista who made my drink was a super sweetie. I didn't know that inquiring about teas was such a sin.
(Oh and for those that are wondering, this is referring to the girl who was working at cashier on Monday March 16, 2015 at the 24-hour Starbucks at Square One around 3:20 pm.)
Onto the second photo, I have to say that the story associated with my reduced sugar Lait's Go (the French name for the drink) isn't nearly as long or exciting as the previous one. I simply included it since the lighting had been interesting that day, there was still time before the bus arrived, and the chances of me repurchasing a bottled drink when it's not on sale are pretty low.
(Side note: Did you know that "Reduced Sugar" in French is "Faible en sucre"? This literally means "weak in sugar" haha.)
Among the other things that happened this week, I was finally able to pick up my camera for a bit of food photography practice!
Pictured below is a kale-pineapple-cucumber smoothie and a failed attempt at Peanut Butter (not-)Thick Toast (featuring Sulley in the background xD).
Pictured below is a kale-pineapple-cucumber smoothie and a failed attempt at Peanut Butter (not-)Thick Toast (featuring Sulley in the background xD).
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More photos should be uploaded to the "What I See - Food" section as soon as this week's assignments and quizzes and projects are tended to!
Other things ingested this week include a Caramel Pudding Milk Tea and Mango Green Milk Tea from Bubble Republic (along with many other milk teas), Chocolate Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins (that I proceeded to top with sprinkles and sea salt flakes), a not-so-honeydew-like Homemade Honeydew Slush with grass jelly, and an immense amount of Oreos (thanks to a $1.99 sale at Shoppers).
On a relevant note, just how cool are these Stanley Cup Oreos?!?!
Other things ingested this week include a Caramel Pudding Milk Tea and Mango Green Milk Tea from Bubble Republic (along with many other milk teas), Chocolate Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins (that I proceeded to top with sprinkles and sea salt flakes), a not-so-honeydew-like Homemade Honeydew Slush with grass jelly, and an immense amount of Oreos (thanks to a $1.99 sale at Shoppers).
On a relevant note, just how cool are these Stanley Cup Oreos?!?!
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While majority of my photos are indeed of nothing else but food and sugar-laden drinks, there are some rare findings of sunsets nowadays. This subtle gradient was quite a nice sight to return home to after a long, tiring day of classes.
Back to food photos, we went to the Mandarin yesterday for the first time in almost three years. As locals that don't have very large stomach capacities, dining at a buffet is an exceptional case unless relatives from another province come to visit. While the setup hasn't changed very much, they did expand their selection quite extensively.
In addition to an enlarged sushi section, they also upgraded their desserts. Not only are you now able to have cotton candy and frozen yogurt, but you also have access to two whole islands in addition to an ice cream bar! Neopolitan chocolate mousse cake, lemon meringue, New York Cheesecake, sugar donuts, Nanaimo bars, Creme Brulee, Rocky Road brownies, and much more had been added for a fully sweet experience.
But while the selection was vast, the individual tastes didn't actually vary by too much. The chocolate cake and cream puff pictured below weren't quite what I had expected: instead of being moist and only subtly sweet, the cake tasted almost all of sugar and eggs. And maybe I'm just used to having Beard Papa's, but the shells of the cream puffs weren't nearly as light and airy as I had wanted; the cream filling was also much too rich and lacked in custard-like properties.
In addition to an enlarged sushi section, they also upgraded their desserts. Not only are you now able to have cotton candy and frozen yogurt, but you also have access to two whole islands in addition to an ice cream bar! Neopolitan chocolate mousse cake, lemon meringue, New York Cheesecake, sugar donuts, Nanaimo bars, Creme Brulee, Rocky Road brownies, and much more had been added for a fully sweet experience.
But while the selection was vast, the individual tastes didn't actually vary by too much. The chocolate cake and cream puff pictured below weren't quite what I had expected: instead of being moist and only subtly sweet, the cake tasted almost all of sugar and eggs. And maybe I'm just used to having Beard Papa's, but the shells of the cream puffs weren't nearly as light and airy as I had wanted; the cream filling was also much too rich and lacked in custard-like properties.
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Although I usually like to finish posts on a more positive note, there is one thing that I must get off my chest in this post. And that is my McDonald's story. I've probably already told two people at this point in time, but since it was quite the frustrating experience for me, I'd like to share it so others can hopefully avoid the same problem. (I have no images for this rant, so please bear with the large chunks of text you are about to see.)
After attending an early-morning appointment yesterday morning, I decided to use up a BOGO Filet-O-Fish (or McChicken or whatever other burger you had wanted to purchase) coupon instead of returning home to an empty fridge. At exactly 10:52 AM, I pulled into a McDonald's Drive Thru to place my order. All was going well in the two-lane drivethrough until the voice over the intercom ordering system informed me that the coupon was a lunch special and could not be used until 11 AM. She suggested that I come back in ten minutes to use it. But being trapped in the Drive Thru lane with a line of cars both before and after me, I expressed that I simply could not get out at the moment and asked if she could simply put it through for me. After double-checking with the manager, her answer was still the same, and told me to just drive through the lanes onto the other side, despite not being able to place an order. I spent about a good 10 minutes there.
As soon as I emerged on the other side, I quickly parked my car and walked into the store to place my order instead. A solid line of approximately ten people were already present at the counter, while another seven were standing to the side waiting for their order to arrive. I let out a quiet sigh.
By the time the line had cleared, the clock read 11:00 AM. I was able to place my order, and then proceed to wait another 15-or-so minutes for my two burgers to come out. Despite the large Wi-Fi sticker pasted on the door, McDonald's wifi did not work. And so without Internet access, one could only quietly observe the workers while waiting. The employees were decently nice, given waking up to having to deal with expressionless, grouchy morning customers wasn't exactly the most appealing task to do.
It was about 5 minutes before my order came out that I got the chance to witness something interesting. A middle-aged lady, probably around her 40s, was making a racket at the counter. Above the calling out of orders and instructions in the kitchen, her voice could clearly be heard as she slammed her coffee down: "This is digusting! What is this?! I asked for a double-double!" A more senior employee was patiently trying to calm the woman down.
"Double-double! That's two sugars and two creams! Not two sugars and three creams! What is this?! This is disgusting!" she continued, "Why can't you be like Tim Hortons?! Write 'DD' on the cup so that no one ever gets it wrong again! This happens every time!"
I'd like to think I was able to stifle my snort. I found it extremely amusing how some lady was complaining about the quality of her dollar-something McDonald's coffee and making a comparison between a greasy fast-food joint's brew to a renowned Canadian brand's cup of joe. I felt sorry for the employee that had to deal with her, and was honestly wondering how someone had the time and energy to throw a kindergarten-level tantrum first thing in the morning.
To be honest, if you wanted high-quality coffee, then take your McDonald's money elsewhere. Don't like your 'disgusting' cup of measly $1 coffee? Then perhaps a better solution would be to save up all your toonies and grab a cup at a high-end cafe. I mean, it's just a suggestion.
And while I'm writing this all for laughs, I truly was annoyed at the how I ended spending a total of 30 minutes at the value-price fast food joint due to a stupid lunchtime rule that hadn't even been specified on the coupon. Talk about time inefficiency.
After attending an early-morning appointment yesterday morning, I decided to use up a BOGO Filet-O-Fish (or McChicken or whatever other burger you had wanted to purchase) coupon instead of returning home to an empty fridge. At exactly 10:52 AM, I pulled into a McDonald's Drive Thru to place my order. All was going well in the two-lane drivethrough until the voice over the intercom ordering system informed me that the coupon was a lunch special and could not be used until 11 AM. She suggested that I come back in ten minutes to use it. But being trapped in the Drive Thru lane with a line of cars both before and after me, I expressed that I simply could not get out at the moment and asked if she could simply put it through for me. After double-checking with the manager, her answer was still the same, and told me to just drive through the lanes onto the other side, despite not being able to place an order. I spent about a good 10 minutes there.
As soon as I emerged on the other side, I quickly parked my car and walked into the store to place my order instead. A solid line of approximately ten people were already present at the counter, while another seven were standing to the side waiting for their order to arrive. I let out a quiet sigh.
By the time the line had cleared, the clock read 11:00 AM. I was able to place my order, and then proceed to wait another 15-or-so minutes for my two burgers to come out. Despite the large Wi-Fi sticker pasted on the door, McDonald's wifi did not work. And so without Internet access, one could only quietly observe the workers while waiting. The employees were decently nice, given waking up to having to deal with expressionless, grouchy morning customers wasn't exactly the most appealing task to do.
It was about 5 minutes before my order came out that I got the chance to witness something interesting. A middle-aged lady, probably around her 40s, was making a racket at the counter. Above the calling out of orders and instructions in the kitchen, her voice could clearly be heard as she slammed her coffee down: "This is digusting! What is this?! I asked for a double-double!" A more senior employee was patiently trying to calm the woman down.
"Double-double! That's two sugars and two creams! Not two sugars and three creams! What is this?! This is disgusting!" she continued, "Why can't you be like Tim Hortons?! Write 'DD' on the cup so that no one ever gets it wrong again! This happens every time!"
I'd like to think I was able to stifle my snort. I found it extremely amusing how some lady was complaining about the quality of her dollar-something McDonald's coffee and making a comparison between a greasy fast-food joint's brew to a renowned Canadian brand's cup of joe. I felt sorry for the employee that had to deal with her, and was honestly wondering how someone had the time and energy to throw a kindergarten-level tantrum first thing in the morning.
To be honest, if you wanted high-quality coffee, then take your McDonald's money elsewhere. Don't like your 'disgusting' cup of measly $1 coffee? Then perhaps a better solution would be to save up all your toonies and grab a cup at a high-end cafe. I mean, it's just a suggestion.
And while I'm writing this all for laughs, I truly was annoyed at the how I ended spending a total of 30 minutes at the value-price fast food joint due to a stupid lunchtime rule that hadn't even been specified on the coupon. Talk about time inefficiency.
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